Birthday Wishes
by LadyGuilt
Summary: Tired of Eric's negligence, Willa pays him a visit, determinate to find out why he doesn't want her around. But when the truth comes out, can the Northmans start to heal, or is the weight of the past too much? - Mild Noric. Post Season Six. Ignores season seven.


**Disclaimer:** I'm not affiliated with _True Blood, HBO, Alan Ball or Charlaine Harris_. No money was gained on the making and distribution of this fanfic. Characters, places, and story lines are completely fictional. Any similarity with a real life person, place or event is completely coincidental.

**Warning: **Story has not been Beta Read.

**AN: **Ignores season seven. Takes place 20 odds years after the end of season six.

Read, Enjoy and Review.

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**Birthday Wish**

_._

Her fingers hovered over the selection of lipstick spread over her vanity. Currently, her top choices were a nice rose pink that went nicely with her flawless skin, or a blood red that was as bright as the woman, - well the vampire,- she had become. Finally settling on the pink, she turned back to her mirror, a small smile suddenly appearing on her face when she saw the reflection of Tara on it.

"You are extremely good at sneaking on me." Said Willa, chuckling lightly as she turned to look at her vampire niece. "What do you think of the dress?" She asked as she stood from the chair, and walked towards her bed, where the pink, silk masterpiece that took her two weeks to find was. Her fingers danced over the rich material.

Instead of commenting on the dress, Tara just stayed where she was, observing the demeanor of who had become her best friend before speaking. "She is here."

Blinking quickly, Willa turned to face Tara once more, no needing to ask who was the 'she' her niece was referring to. There was only one woman who could put that look on her face. "I'm surprise she is here so early." Willa said briskly, trying to keep most of what she was feeling to herself. What was the point, really, of saying something that had been spoken about a thousand times between them? "Did she brought me a gift?"

Tara smiled for the first time since coming into the room, walking towards Willa. "Well, she did brought a lot of bags with her. Hopefully one of those is a gift for the birthday girl."

"Hmm, I'm hoping for something shinny this time around." Tugging at Tara's hair, she pointed towards her writing desk where four shoe boxes were piled together. "Help me settle on a pair, won't you? I don't think I'll have time tomorrow night, I want us to stay tonight at _Fangtasia_ so we'll be on location for the party."

As she turned to leave, Tara grabbed her arm, her fingers curling in a tight grip around Willa's pale skin. "He didn't come with her, Willa."

She froze, then shrugged her hand away from Tara, "He'll be here for the actual party. Pam just came early to spend time with you." She didn't turn as she spoke, but instead continued towards the desk, grabbing the first box of shoes and took the silver colored high heels out. "He'll be here tomorrow night, and we'll have fun. All of us. Like a normal family." Tara didn't reply and Willa was glad. She knew her niece's feelings towards her vampire father were less than amicable, and the last thing she wanted to hear was Tara putting him down. Besides, Willa was sure he would be there, so there was no point to the discussion. Eric would come, and they would dance and feed and have fun and everything would be perfect.

.

* * *

.

Slamming open the door of Pam's bedroom, Willa marched inside, her usually warm eyes alive with fury. "Where is he?" She didn't so much as asked as she growled the question at her vampire older sister. The blonde just arched a brow and looked at her with amusement, though Willa thought she could detect a hint of pity in her ice cold blue eyes. That enraged her further. "Just tell me where the fuck is he?"

"I'm not his secretary. Have you tried calling him? Send him a text, and e-mail. Hire a witch." Dismissing her sister, Pam turned her back on Willa, and continued unpacking her suitcase.

"I'm not in the mood for this, Pam. He is my fucking Maker too, and I want you to tell me where he is."

Rolling her eyes, Pam turned once more towards the younger vampire. "Look, sweetie," she started with deliberately slowness. "He is your Maker. If you want him, find him. Now out of my room, I don't have time for your tantrums."

.

* * *

.

The club was filled with people despite the late hour. The music was booming around the walls, yet she could still pick up on the laughter and hushed conversation of the patrons as they move along the main floor having fun. Uncaring about anything and everything but the moment.

That only made Willa even more furious.

She should be the one having fun. Mingling between _supes_ she hardly knew or care about. Enjoying their good wishes and congratulations. Basking on being the center of attention for once. It was, after all, her birthday.

But she wasn't at her club. Oh no, while her friends and family were celebrating at _Fangtasia_ her fiftieth birthday, she had flown to Texas where her vampire father was at _his_ club.

"Willa."

She stopped when she heard his soft voice, then turned around. For once, she was uncaring about the fact that she looked less than perfect on his presence. After her rash trip, after being at the mercy of the winds, Willa knew she probably looked insane.

"This is more important than me?" She said, not bothering to lower her voice. Spitting mad, and deeply hurt, she wouldn't mind causing a scene.

Eric looked at her for barely a moment before shaking his head. Taking a tight grip of her arm, he sent her quick command to keep quiet, and practically dragged her to his office. Once there, he let go of her so fast that Willa wondered if she had somehow burn him, and he went to sit at his desk.

"Aren't you supposed to be at a party?"

His mild tone after his rough treatment felt like a slap. But Willa stood where she was, determinate to have it out once and for all. "Aren't you?" She bit out, taking a step forward. "You weren't there. Again."

"Didn't you get my gift?"

"Yours or Pam's?" Enraged that he wouldn't even look at her, she tugged at the pearl necklace Pam had given her, claiming it was from Eric. "Did you even pick it up, or did she did that too?" With another tug, the clasp of the necklace gave. Curling her fingers around the small precious pearls, she threw it at Eric, feeling a small burst of satisfaction as it hit him on the chest.

"If you didn't like -

"Just stop!" She raised her voice without realizing it, know that she wouldn't be able to handle more of his flippant attitude. "Just tell me why. That's all I want, Eric. I'm done trying to make you care about me. I'm done hoping you are going to become the maker I need you to. I get it, fine. I just need to know why." Scared that she might start to cry, she raised her hand to her lips, pressing her fingertips against her mouth, as if that would stop another word from coming out.

Eric didn't reply right away. Setting the necklace a top of the desk, he seemed to be studying it careful, as if it would revealed all the answers of the universe. "I'm not sure I understand." He said after some length, his gaze still avoiding hers.

Deflated, Willa pulled a chair and sat down. A heart that had been dead for almost twenty five years, breaking. "I know why you turned me Eric. I accepted that I was a last try to stop my human father. Revenge for what he done. But I thought... I was sure." She stopped, hurt all over again that he wouldn't look at her even while she was baring her soul. "We are family. That's the first thing Tara told me after we were out. "_We are sticking together because we are family now.'_ And I live by that. And while we were on that camp, you can't deny that we _were_ family, Eric. You are my father." Now that she started again, Willa found the words were simply flowing, as if a dam had been broken. "When we were trying to rescued Nora, you were planning on taking me with you. Nora, Pam and me. Like it was meant to, but after? You left! You left me. I was practically a new born, and the only one I had was Tara, who wasn't much older. How could you do that to me? Why?" Again, Willa was unaware of having raised her voice. Rage and hurt mingling together, driving her to get the answer she needed to move on.

"I thought it was because of Pam." She said after a few minutes, when it because apparent that he wasn't going to reply. "Thought she hated me and you were trying to keep her happy. But she loves me. She is fond of me." she corrected herself quickly, at his snort. "I made sure to do everything I could, hoping that if she approved, you might go back for me. Instead, I got the deed of _Fangtasia_." She couldn't stop the bitterness of that from showing in her voice. Tara and her, had done everything to make sure _Fangtasia_ was up and running for Eric and Pam. Instead of luring them home, the blonde duo signed over the bar to them. "So it wasn't Pam. For the past twenty years I have done nothing but wonder why you hate me so, and I just don't know. Is it because of my human father? You hate him so much that now that he is dead I'm the only thing that still is there to hate? But I'm not not his daughter anymore, am I? You took his blood and replace it with your own._ I'm your daughter not his._" There was such conviction in her voice, that even if Eric has jumped and claimed that as the reason for his abandonment she wouldn't believe it. "Was it because I didn't look for you?" She tilted her head upward, hating the sting of tears in her eyes. "When you left, it wasn't just me. You left Pam too. But she went after you, and she haven't left you since. Is that why you can't even look at me now? Because you almost died and I wasn't there?"

Willa waited, but there still was nothing but dead silence from Eric. Eventually, she stood up, feeling drained for the first time in years, wanting nothing more but the support of the only person who has ever been there for her always. She was almost at the door when he finally spoke, his voice finally showing something other than arrogance, and it broke her heart all over to hear his pain.

"You look like her. When I look at you, I see Nora."

.

* * *

.

_How did one compete with a dead woman? _

Sitting at the roof of Eric's bar, Willa leaned back, resting her weight on her hands and tried to find an answer for that question. After his confession, Eric had stood up and strolled passed her, leaving her alone in the office. Willa hadn't go after him, though a big part of her had wanted to. But she knew that the last person he needed to see at that moment was her.

_How do you live when lose your soul mate? _Closing her eyes, she thought back on everything she had learned over the years about Nora, which Willa was ashamed to realized, was next to nothing. She knew Nora had been Eric's only sister. That she had been a chancellor of the Authority -what passed for vampire government back then – and that due to that association she had cut ties with both her brother and her own maker. She remember Tara telling her that Nora's existence had been a surprise even to Pam, and Willa found that hard to believe, as close as her blonde sister was to their maker. So really, how close would they have been when not even his child knew about Nora?

Apparently, close enough for him to completely lost it after her death.

Willa felt like screaming. She wished she had the ability to speak with the dead, to ask her aunt, if she knew how deeply her death would affect Eric. Maybe, while she was at it, she would scream at his father for what he did. She almost laughed when she realized that even though he had died, even though his camp had been destroyed, he still won. He still managed to break the great Viking.

"Something amusing?"

Willa's eyes opened quickly, her gaze falling on the silhouette of her maker. Sitting straight, she shrugged. "I don't think you would find this particular thought amusing. I was just being morbid."

Watching his youngest child wearily, he sat down besides her, his long legs dangling over the edge of the roof. "I'm not going to apologize."

_What was it about him, that make her feel like a school girl with her first crush? _She wondered as she studied his profile. He was, without a doubt, the most interesting man she had ever laid eyes on. "I didn't come here for an apology, Eric." She replied, clasping her hands together to stop herself from reaching towards him. "I just wanted to know why."

Eric was silent for several moments, before he sighed deeply. "What happened to Nora, it wasn't your fault. I want you to know I never blame you."

She nodded, what could she say? They both knew that she was part of the reason, even if she had been nothing more than a pawn for both Eric and her biological father. "Do you blame yourself?"

"Maybe." He admitted, though he didn't looked at her while he did. His eyes were on the dark sky above them. "I've been on this earth for far too long, Willa. Regret, and guilt aren't something I'm a stranger of. But I'm not human."

Willa nodded, she understood what he meant by that statement. Some things you had to let go of, because when you live for as long as they did, you didn't have the luxury of letting emotions control you.

"I don't look like her." She didn't meant to say that, but the words slipped out before she could stop them.

He turned towards her then, his eyes searching her face as if he could find something to disprove her comment. "Not identically. But you do look like her enough. Still, that's isn't your fault."

That was the closest to an apology she would get from him. "You loved her." She pouted when she saw Eric rolled his eyes.

"Contrary to what people think, there is more than one woman in my life, Willa. Of course, I loved Nora. Still love her, even though she had been dead for two decades. She was.. a part of me."

It was hard for Willa to imagine that kind of love. As much as she cared about Eric, she really doubted that she would mourned him for two decades if he were to meet a true death. Certainly not with such devotion. And as much as she cared about him, Willa was very much aware that the bond between Maker and Child was responsible for a big part of her feelings. But Eric and Nora didn't had that kind of bond. It wasn't magic that made them go back to each other decade after decade.

"Where does that leave us?" Willa asked after a few minutes of silence.

Eric looked lost for a moment, and Willa was scared that he might tell her it was too much, ask her to leave him be. As much as she feared that, how could she deny him that? "Stay." He said suddenly, as if sensing her thoughts. His voice was firm, resolution dripping from it. "Stay with me for awhile."

"Are you sure?" Her dark eyes found his usually cool blue ones. Uncertainty and hope were mixed together.

"You _are_ my child, Willa. It's time I start acting like your maker."

It wasn't perfect. It wasn't a promise for an epic love story. And Willa was conscious of the fact that tomorrow Eric would change his mind and send her away, but it was enough for now. It was enough for _them_. "Okay, I'll stay."

He smiled at her for the first time that night, and Willa was reminded of the first night she ever saw him. Floating outside her window.

"By the way, Willa. Happy Birthday."

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_Fin_

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AN(2): If you made it this far, thank you. I hope you enjoy this. Questions, suggestions, comments are always welcome. Thanks once more for the support and don't forget to review!

**LadyGuilt**


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